Many of the bills contained in today's Queen's speech were preannounced in July's "pre-Queen's speech" - a constitutional invention of Team Brown.

It was delivered on July 11, immediately after Mr Brown became PM, to allow a period of public consultation before today's traditional announcement of Her Majesty's government's legislative plans.

Sadly for the PM, July's ideas - more affordable housing, a regulator of the NHS, compulsory education till 18 - now risk seeming as tired a post-prandial peer dozing on the red leather benches.

So as we settle down for the prime minister's first Queen's speech, we're hoping that the pyrotechnics seen above Downing Street last night were Gordon burning the midnight oil to come up with the odd new policy announcement. We'll be keeping watch.

10am

Gordon Brown leaves Downing Street, 13 minutes behind schedule.

The Queen has already left Buckingham Palace and, as a hangover from an age of more prickly government-monarchy relations, a dispensable government whip is left as a "hostage" to ensure Her Majesty's safe return home.

The imperial state crown, sword of the state and cap of the maintenance are also being transported to Westminster by coach. Such accessorising is how our monarch made it onto Vogue's list of Definitively Glamorous women. It could go to a girl's head.

10.30am

Correction: the Queen hasn't left Buckingham Palace. She's evidently still showing whichever government whip Gordon Brown has sent to take her place where the tea and coffee is kept.

Meanwhile, Lords have been arriving in stretch limos and as we type the cellars of the Houses of Parliament are being searched by a detachment of the Yeomen of the Guard as a reminder of the gunpowder plot of 1605. This is done, of course, in addition to a thorough once-over by sniffer dogs.

10.40am

The Household Cavalry are getting into position on the royal staircase of the palace. They will get their swords out - with or without provocation - enjoying their right to be the only people allowed to bear arms in royal palaces.

The Yeoman of the Guards now inch past them, avoiding the swords, and into the Royal Gallery.

We'll try to keep the men in uniform quota down from now on.

As this happens, the imperial state crown and all of its 3,000 diamonds has travelled from Buckingham Palace and arrived at Westminster.

The palace is anxious we know that it is travelling on its own for a reason.

It isn't going with the Queen because it needs to be kept on display all the way. Seeing as the coaches are pulled by horses we can't complain about carbon emissions.

11am

The Queen now leaves Buckingham Palace.

Michael Gove tells the BBC's Huw Edwards that the Conservatives agree with much of the legislation they suspect will be brought forward today.

The camera cuts away to Ed Miliband, who looks scared.

Labour need today's Queen's speech to clarify Brown's vision of Britain to raise the party out of what former minister Frank Field hasn called a 'rut' and state of 'despondency'. The last thing Labour need is for the Tories to say that vision is a Conservative one.

The Queen has now been dropped off by the black and blue Irish state coach.

Huw Edwards has just told us that "the world will know the Queen has arrived when the Union Jack is brought down from the Victoria tower and the Royal Standard is raised".

Hasn't he seen the Vogue list of definitively glamorous women? By their analysis she "arrived" some time ago. Tsk tsk.

Anyway, flags are now changed and the Queen is now in the building. The Robing Room to be precise, where she is getting changed.

We won't tell you into what as a blogger has complained about the level of sartorial analysis. So, from now on, very little pomp and hopefully more policy. You asked for it.

Sorry about the mix-up of bear/bare. An over-zealous subeditor has claimed responsibility.

11.30am

One more bit of pomp. The mace is in place and the Queen has begun the Sovereign's Procession.

This is her 54th such walk. She's been Queen for 56 years but was pregnant for two of the years. This is compared to Queen Victoria who did not attend any.

The lights have been turned up inside the upper house to intensify the look of this.

The Queen now despatches Black Rod to go and get the "Commoners". AKA MPs.

Next the Queen gets to her throne in the House of Lords and is preceded by a group of men who walk backwards in front of her.

The palace recently offered them the choice of walking forwards but was rebuffed.

Meanwhile Black Rod, the representative of the House of Lords, knocks on the door of the Commons to call MPs to follow him through to the Lords and the definitively glamorous Queen.

His three knocks, and the MPs carefully choreographed ya-booing followed by the slamming of the door in Black Rod's face, are meant to symbolise the time-honoured independence of elected MPs from the monarchy.

Except with Gordon's July pre-Queen's speech and its 50 page document pre-emption of her majesty's big day, the Queen might be just a little more irritable than usual.

Dennis Skinner interrupts to say something like "Who shot the Harriers...?" - presumably a reference to Prince Harry's shooting activities. Answers on a blog post if anyone understands what he meant.

Gordon Brown and David Cameron are talking to each other as they walk between the two chambers. This is extraordinary. Tony Blair could do small talk... but we had previously thought that Gordon couldn't. Bravo.

11.35am

THE SPEECH

The MPs are now inside the Commons and the Queen has begun her "gracious address", starting to read surely the only "to do" list in the world written on goatskin vellum.

She includes the word "aspiration" in the opening lines. This is Brown's vision, that backbenchers crave.

Education is the first to be mentioned. The move to keep kids in education until 18 and fine them if they do not attend.

Next up is housing. A new homes and communities agency will be introduced.

The next bill we get to is reform of the planning system.

And now the third of the big three issues: health.

Next year is the NHS's 60th anniversary and going into that year the government wants a new regulator to oversee the health service.

Another bill for children, this time for those in care. The camera cuts away to Ed Balls, who, as children, schools and families secretary, will be in charge of key bills within this year's speech.

Now the climate change bill. The bill will, the Queen says, make the UK the first country to have legally binding targets.

Another mention of "aspiration": the GB vision.

It is difficult to insert a vision into a list of bills, but Gordon does seem to have managed it.

11.40am

This is the most controversial piece of legislation: the terror bill.

It is likely to see the period to detain terrorists without charge from 28 days to 56 - although the Queen gives no details.

The last attempt to increase this time limit led to the first Commons defeat of Blair's premiership.

We now get a bill to ensure strengthened banking regulation, important in the light of Northern Rock, and also a bill to reform party funding.

She now tells us that governments across the devolved regions, and across Europe, will continue to work well today.

Here she tells us - and the Tories won't like this - that the controversial European reform treaty will be brought through, and there's no mention of a referendum.

Iraq and Afghanistan get a mention. The government will continue to work for peace in both those countries.

Cutaway to David Miliband - the man who has got to do this. We also get a commitment to work out peace in the Middle East.

The Queen now prays that the blessing of almighty God rests upon them... and now hands the goatskin vellum back to Jack Straw and with a little look at Prince Philip, she is back off to the Robing Room.

There is some comment on the fact that Mr Straw reversed out of view of the Queen - the idea that you cannot turn your back on the Queen was something that the former lord chancellor, Lord Irvine, thought silly.

This is something the palace also recently said people did not have to do.

But Mr Straw seems to have reinstated the backwards retreat. Backwards not forward, to reverse a Blair mantra.

11.45am

The MPs amble back to the Commons, maybe discussing the party funding measures which Conservatives see as targeted at them and their tactic of funding particular constituencies outside of an election period, something Labour politicians have called an "arms race".

The year-long all-party review chaired by Hayden Phillips collapsed a week ago and there is anger that Gordon Brown has nonetheless sought to create legislation on the issue.

We'll see in the "loyal debate" what MPs kick off about.

David Cameron will be the first to answer the Queen's speech.

11.55am

So the speech is over, but stay with us for the Commons debate.

I see from your comments below that more sartorial coverage was demanded after all, so please note that the Queen has taken the 3,000 diamonds off her head and is walking much more quickly out of Westminster dressed in snow-white fur.

With such an outfit, we assume the animal fur protesters and their cans of red paint have been safely locked up in a tower.

Huw Edwards is concerned about the state of the union flag that has now been hoisted since Her Majesty has departed. All is back to normal.

Michael Gove has decreed that the word "aspiration" was "sprayed on like aftershave". Bodes well for a good loyal debate - which will start at 2.30 this afternoon.

2.20pm

THE DEBATE

Now for the first debate of this parliamentary session.

Gordon Brown and David Cameron may have surprised critics and made like two friends on their walk from the Commons chamber to the Lords to hear Her Majesty's gracious speech, but now combative politics returns.

Unlike with other government announcements, today the opposition has had lunch time and over two hours to respond to the proposed legislation.

If some 28 or 29 bills were read out (it depends what you count as full and draft legislation) Mr Cameron and Vince Cable's teams will have had, by our reckoning, around five minutes per bill to come up with dazzling counter-attack.

What will they go for?

The Conservatives will not have liked the party funding legislation hinted at, nor the European reform treaty bill. The Lib Dems wont have liked this Europe legislation either and both will attack on the precise nature of proposed anti-terror legislation.

Keep your eye on Labour backbenchers too. David Winnick is the Labour MP who devised the 28-day compromise measure after Mr Blair was defeated in his attempt to extend detention without charge to 90 days.

But Mr Winnick is not happy with this year's attempt to turn 28 days into 56. What will he come up with?

The Speaker, Michael Martin, has read out parliamentary business to a packed Commons chamber.

He reminds the MPs what they did this morning and that her majesty was pleased to make the gracious speech. Of which, he tells them, he's obtained a copy. To giggles. Presumably because that's what they'd have expected.

Labour MP, former sports minister and now Brown's 2018 World Cup bid ambassador Richard Caborn is the first to his feet to thank Her Majesty.

Formality over, he says, but then continues with some more pleasantries including a joke about the last time he addressed a packed house being a speech on the ill-fated casino legislation.

MPs laugh at this humility. He then mentions his mother and her NHS knee replacement. More jokes.

There are two of these types of addresses - they are called the loyal addresses and they are meant to be light-hearted.

Cutaway of Gordon Brown when Caborn recollects a game where Scotland loses to England 9-3. Gordon grins. He's in rather a good mood today. More sport anecdotes.

And a detour that embarrasses another Sheffield MP, Nick Clegg - unexpected good wishes for Clegg's Lib Dem leadership bid. Clegg blushes a New Labour colour of red.

3pm

Dawn Butler, the third black woman to be elected to parliament, gets to her feet. She recalls getting the call from the chief whip asking her to make the loyal address and thinking "oh no, he's caught me". She continues that she thought the honour as poisoned a chalice as working on the Crossrail bill. Uproarious laughter. She's now telling an anecdote that includes "cute guys" and "Bob Marley". The Commons is loving it.

Butler's constituency will disappear at the next election due to boundary changes and she will have to challenge Sarah Teather. Her speech may helpfully raise her profile.

3.05pm

At last the debate begins. Cameron is called and pays tribute to those firefighters who have lost their lives in Warwickshire.

He reminds Caborn of his inability, while sports minister, to answer radio 5's quiz questions on horse racing, the Stella Artois tennis tournament, golf and rugby.

He then turns to Butler and makes a joke about politicians using the word "hood", as she had done in a speech elsewhere. "Hood" as in "hoodie" and "hug a hoodie". His advice to her is to go nowhere near it. Much laughter.

Things are very jolly in the Chamber. Somebody mention Europe, quick.

3.10pm

Now. About time. Cameron gets serious with a mention of Iraq and Afghanistan.

He likes those bills that he says he proposed in the first place. For example: the climate change bill. And then there are those bills re-announced: Crossrail.

Cameron also highlights that a Conservative proposal is included within the proposed terror legislation.

He then mentions the aborted Hayden Phillips all-party group on party funding, reminding the prime minister that it is the Labour sticking point of trade union funding.

Quickly we get into the issue of Lord Ashcroft. This subject could play all afternoon.

Cameron now demands a referendum on Europe before tracking back to the government pledge to deep-clean hospitals. Cameron quotes a Department of Health publication which seems to contradict the prime minister's pledges.

Cameron is midway through accusing Brown of merely issuing a laundry-list of gimmicks and feverish blue-washing when Michael Martin intervenes to tell the house off for being too rowdy. Including an individual rebuke for Barry Sheerman.

Cameron is unperturbed and picks up where he left off talking of a "hyper-active state trying to run everybody's lives".

3.25pm

Chris Bryant, the very loyal Labour MP, gets to his feet to ask about the bill outlawing incitement to homophobic hatred and whether Cameron will support it.

Cameron dodges this saying they will move an amendment that outlaws incitement to any kind of hatred. He then attacks Bryant for not himself being averse to incitement to hatred - having been key in the coup to oust Tony Blair last year.

"Say what you like about Tony Blair. At least he was decisive," Cameron now shouts, ridiculing Gordon Brown's indecision over whether to call an election.

3.30pm

Cameron next rips apart Brown's "British jobs for British people" mantra, having lambasted the government for presiding over the first run on a bank in decades. Now he is throwing election posters on the dispatch box showing slogans that Brown, he says, borrowed off the BNP.

This has been rather a breathless opposition's leader speech.

Mr Brown gets to his feet. For those who wanted sartorial analysis, he is wearing a purple tie. Like David Cameron he too pays tribute to the late Piara Khabra, who used to sit in the Commons behind Tony Blair so that he would be visible behind the PM.

At some point, so the story goes, a government whip had him moved and replaced by a more photogenic female MP. Nonetheless, Gordon brown now pays tribute to him.

Brown now gets onto the substance of Cameron's critiques. He shows evidence that Cameron voted against maternity pay and the first move to flexible working in the House of Commons, so the idea that he can claim any ownership over flexible working is, Brown says, wrong. Cameron is gurning and thinking.

An SNP MP raises the issue of English-only votes on English laws (the second time it has been raised in this debate) and Brown deflects it by pointing out that there is no desire for such an arrangement in Scotland.

The first Lib Dem gets to his feet. Simon Hughes, he of the yellow taxi mode of transport, now asks Brown whether Brown's housing bill will allow every council to build the housing they'd like to.

This is something being looked at by Yvette Cooper, housing minister, and it is thought to be local councils' hitherto inability to do this that is one of the reasons the UK has a housing shortage.

We have not yet had a full debate on terror or Europe.

3.45pm

Ah. Now we get something on the terror bill but he is speaking very fast and collapses it into a brief synopsis of other community legislation, euphemistically called legislation to "win hearts and minds".

Michael Martin calls for order. "There are so many private conversations going on". Come on backbenchers. Share and share alike.

Gordon Brown resumes, with an expansion on his housing proposals, and here Brown is at home, battering MPs by numbers just as he did when delivering budgets.

He quotes Conservative shadow ministers and also Cameron's confused thinking on building new homes. David Miliband, next to Brown, is delighted.

3.55pm

And now the heavily trailed "Neet" footwork, the problem of the one in four 16-to-18-year-olds who drop out of school (Neets: Not In Education, Employment or Training) and the new "participation age" that will pay them to stay in school until they are grown-ups, and fine them if they do not.

"Why cant the opposition support [these ideas] in the way the CBI does?" Mr Brown asks.

"Why? Because the leader of the opposition flunked his clause four test when it came to grammar schools." Big cheers.

John Redwood, the rightwing former Tory minister, wants to ask a question and Mr Brown gives way, saying: "Let me give way to the authentic voice of the Conservative party."

There are audible intakes of breath. Mr Redwood's question is batted away.

Mr Brown moves onto new banking regulation.

This is one of the areas new to Mr Brown's programme since the July pre-Queen's speech, along with immigration measures.

Its introduction is due to the Northern Rock problem.

Mr Brown now mentions Black Wednesday as an example of the kind of economic turbulence he has banished and reminds people of Mr Cameron's role as chancellor Norman Lamont's adviser that day.

4pm

We are an hour in and now Mr Brown moves on to Europe.

He wants to know whether Mr Cameron will indeed call for a "post-ratification referendum on the issue" of the EU reform treaty - even though Mr Brown points out that 47 of his MPs want this.

Tory MPs look a bit battered. Mr Straw is nodding vociferously.

So far we haven't had much Big Picture Brown Vision stuff.

Mr Cameron springs up and leans over the dispatch box.

"Look me in the eye and tell me whether you were planning to reform inheritance tax before we thought it up."

"Unequivocally, yes," Mr Brown replies.

A deafening jeer.

Now Mr Brown begins a list of how he would like today's Queen's speech to be written up and finishes by commending the gracious speech to the house.

4.10pm

Mr Cable's turn.

"Buried within the speech there is the germ of a grand new idea. The coalition between the Tories and Labour."

Mr Cable, the acting Lib Dem leader, points to the fact that they are both trying to prove they are tough on crime, anti-immigration, have an energy policy that has nuclear energy central within it, unethical, cynical foreign policy...

There is more and, as a very nice man, he deserves very great attention - but he is interrupted.

He picks up and quickly gets to Europe. We want a referendum, he says.